Chapter 17: Wheat Beer as a Reward
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Yang Ling paused his search for ancient trees after scouring the area in a five hundred kilometer radius from the elf tribe.
There were not many ancient trees in the outer portions of the forest, and he, for the time being, wasn't powerful enough to delve into the deeper parts of the Terras Forest where higher level Magical Beasts lurked. Both the records kept by the elves as well as the memories of the Horned Bee Beasts told him that the Magical Beasts in the deepest parts of the forest were all powerful beyond imagination. Without sufficient abilities, he would not even last a second before them.
At the same time, according to the intelligence brought back by a scout, there was an increasing number of unidentified troops gathering in Wissen Town. As a precaution against Ymir's fatal attack, Yang Ling decided to head to the town himself to gather information.
After sufficient preparation, Yang Ling rode his gryphon to Wissen Town, situated at the outskirts of the Terras Forest. Even as he went on the journey, he did not forget to train his Magical Beast army. Even though the Evil Eyes had put up a stellar performance against the barbarians, the battle had also revealed a fatal flaw, greatly diminishing their effectiveness.
Horned Bee Beasts that had evolved to the second level could only shoot three poison stingers a day. Similar to this, unevolved Evil Eyes had limited magical powers and could only shoot ten bolts of light a day. On the battlefield, if he was unable to end the battle even after exhausting the Evil Eyes' magical powers, then the only fate that awaited him was a massacre. Thus, increasing the hit rate of the beams was of utmost importance.
As a mid level Magical Beast, the gryphon was incredibly fast. Its stamina was also much better than that of the Horned Bee Beasts, and it was able to traverse a thousand miles in a day. Two days later, Yang Ling had successfully arrived at Wissen Town.
Wissen Town was not large, and the houses there generally made of wood and had simple designs. It had narrow streets with little shops. Most of the shops were wood processing factories. But what surprised Yang Ling was that there was a bar in a dark building. Upon entering the bar, he realized that there were quite a number of people there, mostly drunkards.
"Sir, do you need any special services?"
Yang Ling had just entered the bar when a young lady in heavy makeup leaned over. She was dressed revealingly, her slender legs peeking through her translucent skirt. Her cleavage was exposed from time to time.
"No need, just get me two cups of beer!" Having frequented bars for many years, Yang Ling immediately guessed the lady's line of work. It looked like there were men wherever there was alcohol, and these ladies would be present wherever a large number of men were. It was the same for both worlds.
"Sir, all you need are a few crystal coins, and you'd have a wonderful time!" The young lady looked flirtatiously at Yang Ling and leaned over. "Could it be that Dulis is not beautiful enough for you?"
Yang Ling was tempted. Looking at her voluptuous figure, he suddenly had a crooked thought. The mysterious wizard powers can tame Magical Beasts as well as ancient tree spirits... Perhaps I can get myself a female servant if I dropped a drop of blood onto a woman!
Taming a female servant that would obey his every wish?
As a cold breeze blew, Yang Ling shook off that insane idea. For some reason, he had lately found it hard to control certain areas of his personality. Perhaps it had something to do with practicing the mysterious Wizard Mantra. He would often dream of the suited lady that he had been squeezed behind on the public bus that day.
Taking in a deep breath, Yang Ling quickly calmed himself down. He lightly pushed away the young lady. Wissen Town was Ymir's base of operations. There were many threats here, so this was not the time for pleasure. He had to obtain information about the general situation.
After freeing himself from the harassment of the lady, Yang Ling found a seat in the corner of the bar. He silently observed his surroundings. Not far away from him, two men who looked like troops were muttering something incessantly, quickly attracting Yang Ling's attention.
"Hey, Gullit, I heard that there are some new women who just arrived. Have you tried them out?"
"Yiblis, it's twenty Black Crystal Coins per session, that's daylight robbery. But they sure are flirtatious… Tsk tsk, Fenlist, you shouldn't miss it. They are definitely better than the old hag you have back at home!" A muscular man licked his lips. He was wearing torn armor, as if he was a defeated soldier.
Fenlist gulped down his wheat beer and slammed the cup onto the table. "D*mn it, business is getting harder nowadays. I wouldn't even have twenty crystal coins if I sold my underwear!"
"Don't complain about being poor here. You just accepted a mission, so how could you not have money?"
"I get angry just talking about it. That mission was hard as h*ll, yet I only received a fifth of the reward. That b*stard Ymir, those b*stards in the Anca family, d*mn it, I can't live like this anymore!"
The thief Fenlist was angry. He had risked his life on a dangerous mission a few days back, but was soon noticed by one of the lackeys of the Anca family. The "protection money" they requested took away the bulk of his earnings.
After looking around in a fluster, Gullit raised his index finger. "Shhh, lower your voice! Are you asking for death? If a lackey of the Anca family heard this, you might lose another portion of your finger!"
After taking another mouthful of his beer, the thief Fenlist's eyes became red. Half a year ago, Ymir had chopped off a good portion of his right ring finger because he had not paid his dues on time. Because of that, his right hand was no longer as nimble as it had been. His business suffered, and his life became harder.
Seeing Fenlist's rage, Gullit understood that he had touched on a sensitive topic. "Brother, let's not talk about that anymore. Come, let's drink! Oh right, you thieves have excellent sources of information. I heard that someone found a giant dragon's cave deep in the Terras Forest, is that true?"
"Gullit, I'll admit this to you, I don't really know!" Fenlist hesitated for a moment before whispering, "But there have been many new people in the town lately, some of them great swordsmen in heavy armor, some powerful spellcasters. I heard that the Church also sent a Divine Knight and a powerful Spellcaster. It looks like this is hardly a rumor!"
"A Divine Knight from the Church? No wonder the Anca family has been exercising so much restraint recently!"
The lackeys of the Anca family had been exercising surprising restraint recently, not causing trouble in Wissen Town every single day. It looked like even the evil Anca family was afraid of offending a knight of the Church.
Yang Ling thought for a moment after he overheard their conversation, then smiled as he approached them. "Hey, do you two mind drinking with me? I'll treat! Waiter, get us three glasses of good beer!"
Seeing Yang Ling approach them, the two men cautiously stopped talking. As for the thief Fenlist, he was still silently muttering something.
"Meeting like this requires some amount of fate. Come my two friends, cheers!" Yang Ling passionately raised his cup.
After unintentionally obtaining information about the dragon's cave and the people of the Church, Yang Ling realized that this had not been a wasted trip. He realized that the Anca family would not dare openly seek revenge on him, which meant that his level of activity within the town need not be that restricted.
The gloomy thief Fenlist did not hesitate. He raised his cup and gulped down its contents. Gullit thought for a moment. "Sir, you do not seem familiar. Is this your first time in Wissen Town? How should I address you?"
Seeing the thief finish his alcohol in a gulp, Yang Long shook his head as he recalled the forthright dwarf Rumi. "I am Yang Ling, a merchant selling weapons. I heard that Wissen Town has a huge demand for weapons and thus came here to see if that was true!"
Yang Ling picked a reasonable identity without much consideration. When he had strolled through the town, Yang Ling had noticed that there was not a respectable weapons shop in the entire Wissen Town. The town would require a large number of weapons, be it for gathering wood or hunting in Terras Forest. Perhaps setting up a weapons shop in the town would be a fine investment.
After taking a sip of the wheat beer Yang Ling bought, Gullit said, "Oh, so its merchant Yang, pardon my rudeness. Oh right, I wonder what merchant's association you belong to?"
After hearing that Yang Ling was prepared to set up a weapons shot, Gullit had many thoughts. A weapons shop was different from a metalsmith. The former would need to invest a large amount of money and resources. No one would dare open a weapons shop without sufficient capital.
"Oh, it is a small merchant's association. You wouldn't know it even if I said its name!" Yang Ling smiled mysteriously. "I have already come to an agreement with the dwarves regarding the weapons and armor, and capital is of no problem either. All I lack now are a few workers. I wonder if you two would be willing to help me?"
The weapons made by the dwarves were famous in the continent for their sharpness and strength. Yang Ling believed that business would be booming if he got the dwarf Rumi to work for him. Of course, the venture would become even more successful if he got a few locals to help him. It was the same logic as how corporations liked to hire locals as their PR consultants.
"What, the dwarves?"
Gullit and Fenlist looked at each other in shock. The dwarves had impeccable skills, and the weapons they forged were always in high demand. If what Yang Ling said was true, then he must truly be someone rich. The small merchant's association he spoke of would have to be incredible, but he must just be unwilling to reveal it to them.
After a moment's deliberation, Gullit and Fenlist reached a silent agreement. If everything was true, then they would have a golden opportunity in their hands if they were willing to work with Yang Ling. Even if Yang Ling was lying, it was a gamble worth taking.
After reaching an agreement, Gullit and Fenlist led Yang Ling to a better seat in the bar before engaging in passionate conversation. Quickly, Yang Ling learned the general situation surrounding Wissen Town. From the thief Fenlist, who hated the Anca family to the core, he even learned that the second aunt of the master of the Anca family loved to wear pink panties with frills.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone